Read-along with Rachel :) 4.5 stars.When I first read about a companion novel being released for Catching Jordan I was super excited. Catching Jordan had been one of my favourite reads of 2011 and so I couldn’t wait to devour more of Kenneally’s work. However I did have my initial reservations about it too as I loved Catching Jordan so much I worried that I would constantly find myself comparing it to its predecessor. I was also worried that it would venture down a similar path, but gladly this was not the case at all. It truly stood out as a novel on its own and that made me admire Kenneally’s as an author even more.I’m a huge sports fan, so adored how Catching Jordan was based around players of the school’s soccer team. Sports play another prominent role in Stealing Parker, but this time the focus was on baseball. Parker was hired as the manager of the school baseball team. She’s there to take stats on the team so that they can improve their performance for next time. Parker already has a reputation for messing around with the lads, so the coach enforces the rule that she can’t mess around with players on the team. Stupid decisions led to Parker having this overblown reputation in the first place, so with several warnings from coach and captain Corndog a.k.a Will Whitfield, Parker knows her boundaries. But what she didn’t expect was to fall for Coach Hoffman, he’s 5 years her senior and temporarily coaching the team. She knows she shouldn’t but she can’t help but fall for him. I liked how in Stealing Parker, baseball was a important part of the story; with Parker having taken it up for reasons to avoid another sport she loved but it’s not only the central theme, there are several other important themes running through, which make Stealing Parker a complex yet unputdownable read.The characters were refreshing, there’s nothing more that bugs me when I don’t click with the characters. But the characters in Stealing Parker became favourites. Parker was a difficult main character, she’d had so much inner turmoil but no way to let it out, she found herself making silly mistakes, but in no way did I find myself getting tiresome or frustrated with them. She was just a confused 17 year old girl who just wanted someone to be there for her, someone to love, endless times I just wanted to give her a hug. Drew Parker’s best friend, I adored whenever he made an appearance. I don’t think however we were ever given the chance to get to know his character properly. But for the most part he represented what a best friend is supposed to be like. Corndog a.ka Will Whitfield; this guy just grew on me so much as the book progressed that before you knew it my book was over-full with post it’s. He could make you laugh hysterically one minute and then would say something so deep the next that at times I was in total awe of him. What I liked most about these characters were that their character development was hugely surprising, I don’t think I’d ever switched sides as much as I have done in this book. This book certainly kept you on your toes thinking what the heck will they do next? Also the re-appearance of the characters from Catching Jordan made the book a more of a joy read.Stealing Parker was one of my highly anticipated reads of the year and I’m pleased to say it did not disappoint. With an amusing bunch of characters that will have you wiping away tears of laughter, and just made me wish I had a group of friends as awesome as these. Kenneally sure has upped her game with this book; she had me flipping the pages in frenzied manner in eager anticipation of what could be around the corner. She managed to touch on several deep meaningful issues, but also able to keep the tone of the book light-hearted and fun. Kenneally has quickly become one of my favourite authors, if you haven’t read any of her books yet I suggest you do so now. And this is a picture of my copy after finishing it :)